Women's Top 25 in the SE - November 19th

Below are the Top 25 teams in the SE as we begin the 2024-2025 season.

USA Wrestling, FloWrestling and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum has published the National Rankings for high school girls wrestlers for November 2024. This national ranking evaluates all girls enrolled in grades 8-12, and athletes from all 50 states are eligible for selection.

This ranking included the major preseason competitions, including Who’s Number One, Super 32, the USA Wrestling Preseason Nationals, the Ultimate Club Championships, the Journeymen World Classic, the Freak Show and many others. Any individuals that are ranked nationally in the latest National Rankings (November 15th) are listed with their team.

One last note - coaches of teams that feel they should be considered for the top 25 (or should be ranked higher than we have them) - please email us. Coaches, parents, and athletes are encouraged to provide information about specific athletes for the committee to consider when doing individual rankings. If they have any information on specific wrestlers who should be considered for rankings please send us an email.

  1. Cleveland (TN) - Caroline Hilton (#18 at 130); Piper Fowler (#1 at 170)

  2. Flagler Palm Coast (FL) - Joslyn Johnson (#5 at 105); Mariah Mills (#18 at 110); Christina Borgmann (#10 at 130)

  3. Daphne (AL)

  4. Hernando (FL) - Grace Leota (#3 at 190)

  5. South Dade (FL) - Beyonce Espinosa (#15 at 115); Willow White (#22 at 120)

  6. West Creek (TN) - Marianna Bowen (#14 at 130); Irelynn Laurin (#25 at 170)

  7. Carrollton (GA)

  8. Hoke County (NC)

  9. Jordan (GA)

  10. Lumpkin County (GA) - Greta Garbuzovas (#14 at 140)

  11. Central Phenix City (AL)

  12. Riverdale (FL)

  13. Orlando Freedom (FL)

  14. North Miami (FL) - Mya Bethel (#2 at 155)

  15. Montgomery Central (TN) - Easton Dadiomoff (#14 at 95); Audrey Levendusky (#18 at 155)

  16. Thompson (AL) - Aenaya Vines (#22 at 135)

  17. Lumberton (NC)

  18. Enterprise (AL)

  19. Rock Hill (SC)

  20. Osceola (FL)

  21. Woodward Academy (GA)

  22. Clarksville (TN)

  23. Jack Britt (NC) - Sumaiya Aamoud (#18 at 145)

  24. Havelock (NC)

  25. Gilmer (GA)

Others receiving votes (alphabetical order): Blythewood (SC), Bradley Central (TN), Greenbrier (GA), Greenwood (SC), Laney (NC), Middleburg (FL), North Henderson (NC), North Oconee (GA), Northwest (TN), Swain County (NC), and Weaver (AL)

I’ll be honest … picking the Top 25 for the Girls was not easy. The talent level varies significantly within teams and that sometimes makes it hard to discern which teams would battle their way through a tournament of the top 64 teams. Cleveland won the Knockout a year ago and finished top 5 in the country according to Flo, USA Wrestling, and others. They return World Champion Piper Fowler as well as welcoming Caroline Hilton to the crew this season. That said, they did lose some significant firepower and it will be interesting to see them compete in some of the tournaments this season (like Wonder Woman in Missouri). Will they hold onto their #1 ranking when all is said and done? We will see. Chomping at their heels is Flagler Palm Coast from Florida. FPC was already one of the top programs in Florida in 2024, but the addition of nationally-ranked Mariah Mills as well as previous nationally-ranked Kendall Bibla and Tianna Fries makes this team the team to beat in my opinion in the Sunshine State. FPC will be pushed by our #4 team in Hernando with Grace Leota and Emma Bauknight as well as South Dade, Riverdale, and others - so the battle within Florida will be superb and that should be reflected in the top 25.

Daphne (Alabama) finished last season just outside the top 50 nationally and return nearly everyone. The biggest challenge in ranking Daphne is that we haven’t seen them against Georgia State Champs Carrollton or the Florida teams just to the south. But they are a force and come in as our #3 ranked team. South Dade is #5 and might be one of the best dual teams in the SE … with Beyonce Espinosa and others they are building to one of the best IBT teams as well. West Creek has put together an solid squad and will look to push Cleveland this year in Tennessee. Carrollton, Hoke County (NC), Jordan (GA), and Lumpkin County (GA) round out our top 10. I expect we will see a ton of changes over the season as we learn more about each of the squads above. Don’t be surprised if a team like Havelock (NC) or Bradley Central (TN) moves up as the season progresses. There is a lot of uncertainty on the girls side.

Jason Fulmore